Stop, drop and roll was part of my childhood. While I was never given a chance to actually implement it, it was among my first tier reactions should I ever catch on fire.

John coined another catchy phrase. "One shun. Two do." It helps me prioritize the need to cease negative behaviors as a platform for positive ones. 

The small group we are in uses another pithy trio. 

"I see... I feel... I want..." 

It is a framework for communicating when we might easily lose our way in blame or shame. I used it last night to speak to John.

"I see that the strong winds blew off the roof of the Silkie pen. 

I feel scared that they will get eaten by foxes.

I want you to fix it."

He heard me and calmly responded. 

"I see that you put bungee cords to hold it back on. 

I feel like that was a good temporary solution.

I want to fix it in a day or two."

A friend mentioned that she had once been given a fourth statement, which came in handy. It fits between one and two. Let's call it one and a half. 

"What I make up about that is..."

As soon as she spoke it I had real life examples. 

"I see that you left your stuff on the floor. 

What I make up about that is that you are lazy."

"I see that you forgot to do what I asked. 

What I make up about that is that you don't care about me."

Framing these accusations as fictional helps me be less attached to them. Because I do have an overly eager imagination. Given half a chance it grows limbs and spreads, which makes it difficult to see the sky.